By JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizenNews.com

A new salary study by the Fulton Industrial Business Association shows that wages are going up on the busy corridor.

"This is an annual survey that has been done in its present format for the last three years that takes a snapshot of the business district from a wage and benefit perspective. I add or refine benefit questions according to local and national employment trends," said FIBA executive director Patrick Stafford.

The survey covers a variety of positions and gives employees and employers a good database for wages in the area.

This year's study, for example, shows a secretary with typing skills of 50-60 words per minute earns between $7.25 and $9.50 an hour.

If you have an extensive background in customer service, you could earn as much as $21 an hour, while the average for a top-rated customer service expert is $15.29.

Entry-level production workers on Fulton Industrial average $9.15 an hour, while top production workers in lead positions average $15.17 an hour.

The area has more than 30,000 workers and Stafford said retention is key with so many positions available to workers. The survey helps managers and executives make sure their wages are in line with other businesses in the area.

As more and more people discover the good jobs with decent wages in the area, Stafford wants to focus on making the corridor even more desirable to workers and potential employers.

"My hopes are to develop a corridor that has every vacant piece/parcel of property with frontage on Fulton Industrial Boulevard be of viable commercial or retail use for the area employees, traveling public and residents of the area," he said.

He said that many businesses are looking at the area and the wage study is one tool the association uses to show the its viability. He wants to see a number of family sit-down restaurants, a car wash, a grocery store, a movie theater, and a day care center within the district.

As more people realize the viability of the corridor and the wages that are being paid, he believes his vision will come to fruition.

 

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